Build Your Own Bratwurst
Garlic aioli | Caramelized onions | Mustard | Sauerkraut | French Roll
The third location for Dog Haus is open for business in Alhambra with many new additions to their menu including chicken sausage, hot dog slingers (think sliders, but hot dogs!), a children’s combo meal and – drum roll, please – The Juicy Lucy Burger! What are you waiting for? Get thee to the Dog Haus NOW!
I’ve said it before and I will say it a thousand times over: When in Los Angeles, never, ever turn your nose up to “strip mall” cuisine. You never know what gem you may be missing out on by snubbing an eatery based on its location. Real estate here ain’t cheap, and these small, family owned restaurants cannot always afford the prime spot on the boulevard. They have to make due where the rent is affordable and hope that the integrity and quality of their food spreads across the South Land here and keeps them afloat. Such a place is Polka, a Polish cuisine joint based in Eagle Rock, going on 17 years strong. It is only one of two Polish restaurants in Los Angeles.
Polka was the first restaurant review ever featured on this blog (review now removed), but I’ve finally returned – and will do so again in the near future because I have a Groupon!
This trip was for lunch, using my sisters Groupon – which incidentally damn near sold out before I even got to my inbox mid-morning. Polka has been featured numerous times on television – and with exposure from Diner’s, Drive-ins and Dives, Polka’s popularity is at an all-time high.
The menu is divided in three price ranges – lunch prices: $11.99, $13.99, $15.99 – and with each meal comes four courses: soup, salad, entree, dessert.
Spinach Soup
Wow. There are no words to accurately describe the overwhelming disappointment that this soup brought to my soul. It was bland and extraordinarily salty. I was flabbergasted; had fame gone to Polka’s head? I knew they had changed hands but the new owner is a relative so…so…what happened? I was nervous about the rest of my meal.
Salad
The salad was a small but refreshing mix with delicious dressing from Sesame Delight, crafted by former Polka owner, Katherine Dabrowski. I could have done without that lettuce stub you see in the right-hand corner but otherwise this was reassuringly familiar territory.
Chicken Kotlet ($15.99)
Breaded chicken with stewed mushrooms. Side of corn, broccoli, carrots and mashed potatoes garnished with fresh dill. This is what my sister ordered and it was so amazing I’ve already decided I’m going to order it when I return for dinner. Juicy, tender chicken pounded thin and breaded in panko style breadcrumbs. Fried up light, crisp and not at all heavy or greasy. The mushrooms were both savory and just a tad sweet, adding a rich compliment to the dish. My one complaint was that there wasn’t enough mushrooms!
Gulasz ($13.99)
Traditional beef stew with kopytka (potato dumpling) NEVER order this without kopytka! Forget mashed potatoes; you don’t know what kind of heaven the mighty potato can achieve until you have had these pillowy, tender morsels. The gulasz was bursting with robust flavors that invoked memories of beef stew from yesteryear (I’m of Polish decent). The vegetables on both of our dishes, though standard and kind of blase looking, were actually prepared very well – steamed most likely – and were ideal candidates to accompany these heavy mains.
Chocolate
I’m unsure what dinner now entails as far as dessert is concerned (two years ago it was the most delicious vanilla pudding with stewed cherries) but lunch includes these delightful and very rich chocolates from Poland. As I prefer European semi-sweet to American sugary chocolate, these bite-sized treats cured all of our dessert cravings.
Further Information
- Parking is in a small lot shared with multiple businesses. You may have to look for street parking, so be sure to read signs carefully.
- No reservations are required for lunch but it was still pretty packed. Reservations for dinner is a must.
- Their website is up to date and features images of their menu items.
- Lunch runs from 11am-3pm, Dinner 3pm-9pm
Would I recommend/return to Polka? Yes! While they really need to step up their game when it comes to the soup, I’m proud that Polka is a nationally acclaimed Los Angeles staple. Polish food is not easy to come by in Los Angeles, so I’d recommend everyone give it a go. Polka puts as much love and care in their entrees as much as my grandmother did. I know she would have approved.
mini Hold the Cone! ice cream cones – Trader Joe’s
I feel like I can finally breathe, that the annual stress of a new year is finally letting up. I’ve been spring cleaning and decided at least attempt at being more aggressive towards clearing out some items in my closet. How is your April chugging along?
My friends have been praising La Luna Negra since the first Groupon appeared well over a year ago. I stalked and waited and finally was able to buy it in time during its next go around. I even bought a Restaurants.com coupon (but we’ll see how that plays off as there is some drama surrounding it) and debated going for a third when it came back around through Groupon.
I finally got the chance to use it with J, who despite his picky eating habits, loves tapas. We went one evening and decided to go for two seafood dishes, one poultry and one red meat. Plus dessert. I do like a man who understands the value of a well rounded meal in the name of research.
Their lighting was “ambient” (i.e. shite for food bloggers) so excuse the lapse in quality.
Sinful Shrimp (11.95)
Black tiger shrimp sauteed with white wine, tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers and fresh basil. Not something I would usually go for but I’m glad we did. Very succulent shrimp and all of the flavors really worked well together. Kind of wanted more bread to soak up the juice with.
Barcelona mi Amor (10.95)
A disarming wrap of marinated chicken sauteed with baby carrots in a garlic and lime juice sauce. On a bed of mixed baby greens topped with Don Fernando’s ultra secret dressing. I don’t think J and I would have ordered this had we realized it was coming to us deep fried. I also think that wrap was stuffed with way more than just chicken and baby carrots, but either way it was still very good. I’d get it again only if I were sharing. The salad was good for topping into the wrap and give some green to it.
It was about this time that I asked one of the staff for their recommendation on white or red sangria. It’s usually an obvious choice (red!) but I caught a glimpse of their white sangria at another table and was intrigued. The hostess – lovely creature that she is – gave me a generous sample of both. Wouldn’t you know it, I went with white!
White Sangria ($9)
Heavily laden with nectarines, peaches and oranges. Sweet and citrusy goodness, I found this to be more refreshing and crisp than its red counterpart.
Galician Scallops ($13.95)
Jumbo scallops wrapped with bacon and leeks sprinkled with lightly seasoned breading and baked. I don’t think this description means what La Luna Negra thinks it means. The part about the scallops being wrapped, yea yeah sure, totally accurate but nowhere was the heap of tomatoes mentioned. Not that it was problematic, just another surprise (see: deep fried chicken above). I think I finally need to admit my dislike for bacon wrapped food. Sometimes it’s okay but I believe bacon-wrapping food is a privilege, not a right, and gets abused often. Thankfully, mercifully, blissfully the leeks rescued these poor, delicious scallops from being overwhelmed by the bacon and added a much appreciated depth.
Cordero Asado ($10.95)
Grilled lamb chops served with eggplant, lentil couscous, goat cheese and rosemary jus. I don’t know what that crispy flat bread cracker thing was underneath this pile of delectable eats, but it was also good eatin’. Our only quibble with this dish was too much bone, not enough meat – but I also understand that bone equates better flavor. All of this was so harmoniously stacked together and I think my favorite savory of the night.
Lady Fingers & Chocolate (approx. $8)
Unfortunately I kept all of my information recorded in my phone, which died not three days later, so the exact price and title of this dish is unknown at this time. All you need to know was that it was amazing and J and I would have had another one if we weren’t already calling for the Oompa Loompas to roll our us out of there. A huge sundae dish loaded up with lady fingers, rich chocolate, fresh strawberries, ice cream and cream – this was better than anything we could have imagined.
Would I return and recommend La Luna Negra? Unquestionably, yes! The tapas run a bit pricey for my liking, but it’s often seen on Groupon and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be loading up the next time it comes around (still sobbing I missed the last go). Perfect for a date night, girls night or special treat.
Further Information
- Park in the Delacey Street structure just around the corner. First 90 minutes are free.
- Enjoy live music and dancing certain nights.
- Menu for their tapas/entrees/happy hour are on the website, but no drink or dessert menu is available online.
- Happy Hour runs from 3-7pm Tue-Thurs and 3-6p on Fridays. They have some heavily discounted tapas that are worth trying to see if you want to come back and spend big money.
- Noise is kind of a factor due to the nature of their ceiling, which is similar to a factory with pipes and ventilation system. Definitely not a place to patronize if you want a quiet, snuggle filled date.
La Luna Negra
44 West Green
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 844-4331 website
Deviled eggs are so painfully easy that I thought I might not post the recipe after all, but then I realized that this was the perfect gateway to finally share my homemade mayonnaise with everyone. So, before we even begin I’m going to ask that you walk into your kitchen, open your refrigerator and chuck out whatever nasty shit that’s been masquerading as mayonnaise.
I’ll wait.
Great, now that task is out of the way we’re going to prepare with the mayonnaise recipe first. This can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Homemade Mayonnaise
ingredients
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2-2tsp teaspoons lemon juice (see note)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (see note)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canola oil, divided into 1/4 and 1/2 measuring cups
In a medium bowl, whisk up the egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk very well. Color should be bright yellow.
Using 1/4 teaspoon measure and whisking constantly, add the 1/4 cup oil to yolk mixture.
Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick. Should taken roughly 8 minutes. The mayonnaise will have lightened in color.
Cover and chill.
Notes:
- The original recipe suggest only 1/4 tsp of Dijon but I use the scrumptious stuff from Trader Joe’s which has a more subtle flavor. If your favorite Dijon packs a powerful punch, feel free to reduce it to 1/4 tsp. I tried to make this with some other grocery store brand and hated the way it came out. Dijon is a very personal thing!
- When using store bought lemon juice I suggest going to 2tsp.
- Feel free to puss out and use your hand mixer/blender for this.
Deviled Eggs
You’ll Need
1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup Homemade mayonnaise (derp)
Dijon mustard
lemon juice
garlic powder
onion powder
fresh oregano, finely chopped
fresh chives, finely chopped with some reeds set aside for garnish
mustard powder
pepper (it don’t matter if you’re black or white, baby)
pinch of salt
paprika
Hard boil your eggs. I don’t care how you do it; I have a machine that does my egg boiling bidding. Immediately after the eggs are done cooking put them in a pot of cold water. Pat dry, set them in a large bowl and stick them in the fridge until completely cooled.
When they’re chilled, peel away the shells (you may have to then lightly rinse off the eggs to get ride of excess shell) and then halve them lengthwise and empty the yolks into a large bowl. Set aside the whites.
Using a fork, mash all of the yolks.
Mix in the mayonnaise
Start to liven up the filling with your seasoning ~ tradition dictates some Dijon (up to 1 tsp) and lemon juice (1tsp). I never measure my seasoning for this kind of thing – it’s really all to taste.
When it’s all mashed up nice and you’ve got the flavor you want, set it aside for a moment.
Grab a plastic sandwich bag (at least quart sized) and scoop all of the egg mixture into it. Seal it up, twist it ’round like a fancy-ass pastry bag, snip off a little triangular piece of the bag’s corner and, gently squeezing, fill your empty egg “boats” back up.
Sprinkle with paprika and stick in shoots of chives for garnish.
Now go impress the shit out of everyone around you with your fancy schmancy eggs.
A little while ago I was contacted to pitch in with a wee project called Urbantag – a website and iPhone app that gives users maps and quickie recommendations of good eats within a certain region. I was asked to contribute a map for the Los Angeles region. I called it My Favorite Spots in L.A. for Delicious Food & Drinks. What I lack in a creative title I make up for in straightforwardness.
On the website link you can read the 8 places I recommended (some will sound quite familiar to regular readers here), follow me and see the map that the urbantag cartographers drafted up for your food and drink hunting convenience.
Scalloped potatoes is another one of those classic comfort foods that I grew up with as a kid and decided to learn how to master. Master them I did – with the assistance of Food Network magazine I used for the base recipe. My only regret is that I didn’t take into consideration the amount of time this dish was going to take from prep to plate and Steffie had to go home hungry as it was getting too late for her to stick around for it.
An excuse to make it another day!
Ingredients
2 lbs. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into thin rounds
3 c. heavy cream
1/2 package frozen petite peas
Canadian bacon, chopped (as much as you want in; I used 3/4th of a package)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt + white pepper (pinch of each)
Preheat oven to 350 degree (F)
Using softened unsalted butter, grease up a 9×13 pan and set aside
Place the sliced potatoes in a wide, deep skillet
In a mixing bowl: whisk the cream, flour, bay leaf nutmeg, salt + pepper and then pour mixture over the potatoes
Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring gently. Bring the mixture just to a simmer – never boil!
Add the peas and chopped ham, incorporating them as you continue to gently shift the mixture around while it simmers, making sure it doesn’t scorch, until the potatoes become softened (pierce with fork prongs to check)
Discard the bay leaf before transferring the mixture to the greased baking dish
Bake until the potatoes are tender – about one hour, depending on your oven
If you want a nice crispy browned top (and who doesn’t?) turn the broiler on and check on it every 3 minutes. Really should not take more than 5-6 minutes for a nice crispy top.
Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves like I don’t know – two if you’re hungry, greedy little piglets like my mom and I. Realistically, I have no idea because I don’t eat like yous.
Notes
Prepare at least 2 hours for this dish – definitely not something you just throw together at the last minute.
The original recipe called for russet potatoes but fuck that noise. I hate those dirty bastards. Red all of the way – peel on for bonus points!
You can always add any kind of veg/protein mix you like. Broccoli, chicken breast chunks, bacon, asparagus, halved grape or cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, mushrooms, whatever floats your boat. We used to put in ham steak but I’ve fallen in love with the Canadian bacon I’ve found at Trader Joe’s – the one approved by the “American Heart Associate” (I say this not because it really impresses me but to describe it as a way of letting you know which brand)
On one gorgeous evening that I was wasting hanging out on the Twitter, I caught a shout out by journalist Celia Soudry asking if any food bloggers would want to tag along to the soft opening of Bibigo in Beverly Hills. Like a teacher’s pet sitting front row and center, my virtual hand shot up before all of the other pupils’. Slackers!
I had meant to bring one of my Korean-cuisine enthusiast siblings as my plus one, but brother dear would have problems getting there on time and sister has a work schedule that has her going to bed the same time preschoolers do. My mother overheard me talking about it and her got sparkly-eyed and in a dreamy voice she said, “Korean food? I want to go!” How could I say no?
Bibigo is an international chain of casual Korean restaurants, with the Beverly Hills addition marking the 12th Bibigo globally and the second USA location. Determined to stand apart from its quick service restaurant in Westwood Village, the Beverly Hills branch offers casual atmosphere for patrons to dine-in, relax and savor the “fresh and healthy” concept that Bibigo is known for.
If you’re starting to feel all kinds of jealous, have no fear: 2012 is a big year for Bibigo as they plan to launch several new branches worldwide – keep an eye out, Tokyo and England!
Bibigo came on my radar when I became obsessed with a little show on PBS called The Kimchi Chronicles – about Marja Vongerichte (wife of internationally acclaimed chef Jean Georges Vongerichte) reconnecting with her biological mother’s roots in South Korea, mainly through the glorious cuisine. Marja, along with friend, actress Heather Graham, dined at Bibigo in Korea. HOW COULD I NOT RESIST THE INVITATION? Imma eat as well as Marja! *faints* Now if only I could convince Mister J to go to culinary school…
Since this is a soft opening I’m not hard-core reviewing this place as I normally would. Basic info with some notes is all I feel comfortable with showcasing for the moment.
Bulgogi Veggie Wrap
I love the variety of rice – black, white, white/brown mix. Bulgogi beef. Fresh cabbage and kale leaves and grated radish.
Bulgogi green wrap
That sauce was amazing and I don’t think (outside of sushi) I could ever go back to plain old white rice again. Black rice is where it’s at.
Cucumber Jalapeno Drink
Believe it or not, very refreshing and not spicy at all. I wish I had drank more of this!
Crispy White Chicken with Okra
Addicting. I love okra + chicken together.
Tomatofu
Silken tofu, cherry tomatoes, arugula and celery + lemon soy sauce. I’m not even a fan of tofu and this had me going back for seconds (and thirds, and fourths, and…)
Tofu Steak
Pan-fried tofu with soy-glazed burdock and green beans. Again – I usually steer very clear of tofu but this was crazy delicious.
Hot Stone Bibimbap – Shrimp & black rice
With all hot stone entrees, customers can pick which protein they’d like (bulgogi beef, chicken breast, grilled spicy pork, tofu or shrimp) and which rice (white, brown/white, black or pearl barley). Choice of sauce includes traditional Kohot, citrus soy, sesame oil, and maybe teriyaki? I cannot recall the fourth option.
Hot Stone Bibimbap – Chicken & Black Rice
This was mine. I appreciated the fresh vegetables – particularly the green beans. I went with the traditional “Kohot” sauce and was surprised this is what it came in:
I could at least see the nutritional listing on the back and even though the sodium content wasn’t too bad, I only ended up using 1/3rd of one packet. I think next time I would ask for that gorgeous sauce that came with the bulgogi leaf wrap.
Sampler
Raspberry wine. Plum wine. Soju.
Tofu pudding with black sesame and a hint of vanilla, grapes to garnish. Like the other tofu heavy dishes of the evening, I could not stay away from this dish.
Ice Cream + Wheat Powder
The wheat powder tasted like ground up Cheerios – which is not a bad thing. We were informed this is a pretty common trend in Korea itself. Cereal flavored ice cream you say? Hand me a spoon.
I look forward to Bibigo’s success in Beverly Hills, now their USA flagship locale, and giving the Westwood Village location a try. If you’re new to Korean food I would definitely recommend Bibigo for your gateway to a world of fresh and flavorful food.
Bibigo
225 S Beverly Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 275-0011 website
Disclosure: All food was complimentary. All opinions and wording are my own.
A little snack to get you through the weekend. Enjoy!
Hello Kitty Waffles (by me via HK waffle-maker)
How was your March? Mine had more ups than downs with scoring fanclub presale tickets to see Dead Can Dance (with my mom; we’re so goth at heart), attending a restaurant opening, getting my hair back to its rainbow glory, achieving a weight I last saw in high school, and rocking out at no less than 7 friends’ birthdays – including Manik’s at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, Melissa’s happy hour hop & art night, baby Chelsea’s St. Patrick’s Day one year old party, toddler Auggie’s 3rd year pizza party and Steffie Love’s surprise 29th party (which I orchestrated). All of this awesomeness totally drowned out the suckitude from the endoscopy I went through ~ so yes, good month indeed!
